Chapter 549: Wedding Time

How did this little dog become so massive?

It now resembled a Tibetan mastiff, as its sleek black fur gleamed like satin. The most striking change, however, was its previously small, harmless milk teeth, which had transformed into razor-sharp blades that gleamed with a cold light. When it opened its mouth to roar, it seemed as though it could swallow the sky itself.

"Woof-ROAR!" The Black Emperor let out a thunderous howl and leapt through the air.

It appeared to possess an innate ability to traverse the void as it stepped on the empty air as if it were solid ground. It clamped down on the grotesque fat man with one ferocious bite.

"Ahhh!" The fat man let out a blood-curdling scream, his voice full of panic and agony.

One of his arms had been ripped clean off. The Black Emperor casually shook its head, flinging the severed arm, which was over a meter long, into the air before snapping its jaws shut and swallowing it whole.

Strangely enough, there was a certain satisfaction in the way it devoured its prey. The grotesque fat man, who had once been so dominant and crazed, finally began to feel fear. He immediately turned and attempted to flee. The crimson clouds of blood that had been swirling menacingly across the sky began to dissipate as he retreated.

But the Black Emperor wasn’t about to give him any chance of escape. It pounced again with lightning speed and tore into the grotesque fat man.

"Ahhh—! Why... Why does this world have a Heaven-Devouring Hound?! Ah, help me!" The grotesque fat man let out a piercing scream as he thrashed and rolled in the air.

But in the end, he was slowly devoured piece by piece. Finally, his bloated, ball-like body exploded violently.

The Black Emperor, its mouth dripping with blood, chewed and swallowed with gusto. It was clearly not satisfied yet. It dove down and pounced on the Divine Followers on the ground. It only needed one bite per follower as it feasted with great relish. Bajie was utterly shocked.

"Where did this stray—uh, good dog come from?" A glare from the Black Emperor was all the hint Bajie needed to hurriedly swallow his words and quickly correct himself with an awkward grin.

For some reason, his back started to ache faintly. Once the grotesque fat man was devoured, the strength of the Divine Followers on the ground began to wane rapidly.

Panic overtook them, and they scattered in desperate attempts to flee, their previous madness gone. The Black Emperor moved with the agility of a tiger as it tore through the ranks. No one could tell how many Divine Followers it had devoured by the end.

"Let’s get out of here," Bajie shouted.

Li Xiaofei nodded. Descending from the air, he grabbed the Black Emperor by the scruff and led it away from the scene.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The Black Emperor wagged its tail furiously as it tried to curry favor with Li Xiaofei.

***

Nether God Fortress. The Prison.

Deep underground, the laboratory that Li Xiaofei had destroyed earlier had been transformed into a true den of horrors. The walls and shattered machinery were covered with dark red, tube-like structures that resembled muscle fibers. The grotesque tubes seemed to writhe faintly, pulsating with life. A vile, oppressive aura of violence and evil pervaded the entire space.

Upon closer inspection, one could see anguished human faces and severed limbs pressed against the inner surfaces of these tubular structures, as though struggling to break free.

"Ahhh—!" A bloodcurdling scream echoed from the depths of the abyss. It had come from a brass throne slick with fresh blood.

A figure drenched in crimson came crashing onto the throne. It was none other than the grotesque fat man. His face contorted with rage, though traces of lingering terror from his near-death experience were still visible in his expression.

"As long as fear and anger persist, I cannot die," he growled.

This world, though small, was filled with boundless fear and rage. The creatures here possessed sweet, delectable flesh and constantly generated endless anger, slaughter, bloodshed, and madness. It was his paradise.

"Great Demon God Barush, Your Excellency, your servant begs for your aid." The grotesque fat man prostrated himself before the throne.

A terrifying force of will descended from the depths of the void, an incomprehensible space beyond all dimensions. This sinister energy caused the fat man's nearly incorporeal body to gradually solidify once more. He began devouring the energy in a frenzy.

"Revenge."

"Revenge."

His low growls echoed through the demon's lair, reverberating off the pulsating walls. Moments later, more Jiepeng people were dragged into the lair by the Divine Followers. They were subjected to unending terror and torment, their screams filling the air as their minds unraveled.

Once their will was utterly broken, they transformed into obedient soulless husks that were the new Divine Followers of the grotesque fat man.

***

"The despicable people of Great Xia have disrupted the decapitation ceremony.”

"They violated international conventions and deployed weapons of mass destruction against civilians."

"Including the plaza outside Kanzaki Palace, along with the western areas of Itabashi Street and Longyu Street, a total of four large residential districts have been devastated by Great Xia’s attacks."

"Thirty-two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-one impoverished citizens of the empire perished in this horrific terrorist attack."

"His Majesty, the Emperor, is deeply grieved and has already filed a formal protest with the Star Council."

"We must have revenge."

"The free citizens of Jiepeng must unite and declare war on Great Xia."

It only took an afternoon for media outlets across Jiepeng to be inundated with reports detailing the so-called ‘facts’ of the war. The people who had died at the hands of the Divine Followers and the grotesque fat man were now victims of Great Xia’s Dragon Group. The imperial family used the media to fuel the flames of war, turning Great Xia into a scapegoat.

In no time, public opinion across Jiepeng boiled over, with citizens overwhelmingly calling for war against Great Xia.

In the Tsukiha Family estate, Li Xiaofei read the news in silence, unable to speak for a long while. He had thought that the Jiepeng people had gone mad. The so-called gods emerging from the Temple had turned on their own civilians, and the Divine Followers had ruthlessly slaughtered everyone around them.

But now he realized it wasn’t madness. He had simply been too naive. This twisted, manipulative nation and its people had perfected the art of propaganda and brainwashing to an unparalleled degree. In the end, Great Xia would always take the blame.

"Was it your doing today?" Tsukiha Yaiba asked.

Li Xiaofei shook his head. "This wasn’t me."

Of course, he was lying. This woman was no saint, and Li Xiaofei had always kept his guard up around her. Although Tsukiha Yaiba didn’t press further, suspicion lingered in her mind.

The official reports indicated that a god who had emerged from the mysterious depths had nearly fallen during this battle. Who in the entirety of Tokyo could have the power to slay a god? In Tsukiha Yaiba’s eyes, only Li Xiaofei possessed such strength.

She didn’t pursue the matter further, though. Instead, she began undressing. Nothing was more important to her than seizing every moment to grow stronger. After an intense session of passion and effort, she took the lead. Li Xiaofei lay motionless on the bed, drained and unresponsive.

To be honest, at this stage, Tsukiha Yaiba, the so-called Flower of Jiepeng, hailed as a beauty unmatched in five centuries, was nothing more than a convenient shell in Li Xiaofei’s eyes. He had already tried every position, location, method, and angle that could be imagined, and he was thoroughly bored.

This kind of emotionless exchange, where strengths were traded and weaknesses filled, no longer stirred much interest in him. Purely fulfilling desires... Li Xiaofei felt like he had become nothing more than a tool.

Two hours later, Tsukiha Yaiba was completely passed out. Li Xiaofei got up, threw on his clothes, and left for his private chamber. The battle earlier with the subspace parasite had sharpened his mind considerably.

That grotesque fat man was, after all, merely a parasite. And yet, it possessed a combat ability that forced me to stay passive. If it had been a true subspace entity, I might not have survived today. It seemed that Mitsui Masao wasn’t wrong. For the people of Earth, subspace beings are akin to gods. Even Saint-level powerhouses have no advantage against them.

The Black Emperor, however, has a natural ability to suppress these subspace creatures. This must have something to do with its innate bloodline. After all, it’s the offspring of Brother Dog. Its origins were undoubtedly extraordinary.

Li Xiaofei focused and returned to the Secret Time Pavilion.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The Black Emperor appeared, its tiny tail wagging furiously like a fan, as it circled Li Xiaofei in excitement. It had reverted to its small, adorable puppy form, looking utterly Mengmeng[1].

Li Xiaofei lifted it by the scruff again and examined it carefully.

"You ate so much, but there’s still no change?"

He had expected the Black Emperor to grow larger, sprout wings, or undergo some kind of noticeable transformation after its feast. But nothing of the sort had happened.

"Go play somewhere else," he said, tossing the Black Emperor to the side.

He then approached Old Tan. The old man still looked like a CPU that had overheated. He was completely shut down, with lifeless, unfocused eyes. No matter the external stimuli or attempts to communicate, he gave no response.

Meanwhile, Zhou Rulong, lying nearby, seemed more like a normal person, but both of them still harbored subspace energy within their bodies.

Li Xiaofei had placed them in the Secret Time Pavilion, knowing it was the safest place for them. He needed to quickly find a way to treat Old Tan. If he couldn’t, he wouldn’t have the face to return and see his lady. Despite trying everything he could think of, nothing worked. There was no progress at all.

"Black Emperor, come here." Li Xiaofei beckoned with his hand and asked, "Do you have a way to remove the energy inside their bodies?"

The sharp and intelligent little dog seemed to understand his request. It circled the two men, growling low in its throat as if threatening something unseen. Then, with a sudden leap, it sank its teeth into Zhou Rulong's thigh.

"Ahhh—!" Zhou Rulong screamed in pain.

However, the Black Emperor didn’t actually tear his leg off. It merely bit deep enough to draw blood, sucking on the wound a few times until its mouth was stained red. Then it released its grip.

Turning to Li Xiaofei, it shook its head with a very human-like expression as if to say, "No, this won’t work."

Li Xiaofei patted its head in encouragement. The pup then trotted over to Tan Zhenwei, circling him twice before sticking out its tongue and licking him. It licked him thoroughly, taking its time, and then stepped back, whining softly as if to signal Li Xiaofei to check again.

Li Xiaofei inspected Tan Zhenwei carefully and was surprised to find that the eerie energy within his body had indeed stabilized after the Black Emperor’s actions. The energy was no longer spreading and corroding his body. Moreover, there was a faint glimmer of vitality in Tan Zhenwei’s eyes.

It worked!

As long as the Black Emperor stayed nearby and occasionally licked him, it could temporarily halt the spread of the subspace energy within Tan Zhenwei. However, a complete resolution was beyond the Black Emperor’s capability.

This had already been proven during the earlier attempt with Zhou Rulong. Still, there was room for further experimentation.

After making some arrangements, Li Xiaofei returned to his cultivation. He knew he had to improve his strength as quickly as possible. Sooner or later, he would have to venture into the temple and confront those so-called gods head-on to find a way to fully awaken Old Tan.

A night passed. By the next morning, Tokyo remained under martial law. Authorities were frantically arresting people in every corner.

This time, however, the Dragon Group had gone completely underground. They avoided being discovered. As time went on, the tension in the city began to ease slightly. Meanwhile, the wedding date for Emperor Akihito of Jiepeng and Tsukiha Yaiba arrived as planned.

1. loanword from Japanese 萌え moe, slang describing affection for a cute character ☜